Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation - Brossura

Chambliss, Daniel F.; Schutt, Russell K.

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1412969395 ISBN 13: 9781412969390

Casa editrice: Pine Forge Pr, 2009

Riassunto

Ideal for students who need to understand methodologies and results, but who may never undertake major research projects themselves, this text offers an innovative, accurate introduction to social research with balanced treatment of qualitative and quantitative methods, integration of substantive examples and research techniques, and consistent attention to the goal of validity and the standards of ethical practice. This bestseller features a new chapter on evaluation research, a new chapter on research ethics, revised coverage of qualitative methods and updates throughout the text.

Offering a brief, engaging, and sometimes humorous treatment of social research methods, it covers all essential elements of social research methods including validity, causation, experimental and quasi-experimental design, and techniques of analysis. It offers real data and updated examples that emphasize everyday experiences and current issues, new ethics exercises, and  contemporary coverage of web-based research methods.

This text is intended for courses in Research Methods offered in departments of sociology, criminal justice, social work, communication, media studies, political science, and public administration.

Su questo libro

L'autore

Daniel F. Chambliss is the Christian A. Johnson "Excellence in Teaching" Professor of Sociology, and Chair of the Sociology Department, at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he has taught since 1981. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1982; later that year, his thesis research received the American Sociological Association’s Medical Sociology Dissertation Prize. In 1988, he published the book Champions: The Making of Olympic Swimmers, which received the Book of the Year Prize of the United States Olympic Committee. In 1989, he received the ASA’s Theory Prize for work on organizational excellence based on his swimming research. Recipient of both Fulbright and Rockefeller Foundation fellowships, Professor Chambliss published his second book Beyond Caring: Hospitals, Nurses and the Social Organization of Ethics, in 1996; for that work, he was awarded the ASA’s Elliot Freidson Prize in Medical Sociology. His research and teaching interests include organizational analysis, higher education, social theory, and comparative research methods. He is currently Director of the Project for Assessment of Liberal Arts Education at Hamilton College, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and is a Member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Contenuti

About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER ONE: Science, Society, and Social Research
What Is the Problem?
Can Social Scientists See the Social World More Clearly?
How Well Have We Done Our Research?
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER TWO: The Process and Problems of Social Research
What Is the Question?
What Is the Theory?
What Is the Strategy?
What Is the Design?
But Is It Ethical?
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER THREE: Ethics in Research
Historical Background
Ethical Principles
Conclusions
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER FOUR: Conceptualization and Measurement
What Do We Have in Mind?
How Will We Know When We've Found It?
How Much Information Do We Really Have?
Did We Measure What We Wanted To Measure?
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER FIVE: Sampling
How Do We Prepare to Sample?
What Sampling Method Should We Use?
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER SIX: Causation and Experimental Design
Causal Explanation
What Causes What?
Why Experiment?
What If a True Experiment Isn?t Possible?
What Are the Threats to Validity in Experiments?
How Do Experimenters Protect Their Subjects?
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER SEVEN: Survey Research
Why Is Survey Research So Popular?
How Should We Write Survey Questions?
How Should Questionnaires Be Designed?
What Are the Alternatives for Administering Surveys?
A Comparison of Survey Designs
Ethical Issues in Survey Research
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER EIGHT: Elementary Quantitative Data Analysis
Why Do Statistics?
How to Prepare Data for Analysis
What Are the Options for Displaying Distributions?
What Are the Options for Summarizing Distributions?
How Can We Tell Whether Two Variables Are Related?
Analyzing Data Ethically: How Not to Lie with Statistics
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER NINE: Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, Listening
What Are "Qualitative" Methods?
How Does Participant Observation Become a Research Method?
How Do You Conduct Intensive Interviews?
How Do You Run Focus Groups?
Analyzing Qualitative Data
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER TEN: Qualitative Data Analysis
What Is Distinctive About Qualitative Data Analysis?
What Techniques Do Qualitative Data Analysts Use?
What Are Some Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis?
Visual Sociology
How Can Computers Assist Qualitative Data Analysis?
What Ethical Issues Arise in Qualitative Data Analysis?
Conclusions
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Evaluation Research
What Is the History of Evaluation Research?
What Is Evaluation Research?
What Are the Alternatives in Evaluation Designs?
What Can an Evaluation Study Focus On?
Ethical Issues in Evaluation Research
Conclusion
KEY TERMS
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
CHAPTER TWELVE: Reviewing, Proposing, and Reporting Research
Comparing Research Designs
Reviewing Research
Proposing New Research
Reporting Research
Conclusion
HIGHLIGHTS
EXERCISES
Appendix A: Finding Information
Appendix B: Secondary Data Sources
References
Glossary/Index

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Pine Forge Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1412969395
• ISBN 13: 9781412969390
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero edizione: 3
• Numero di pagine: 327